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written Thursday, May 24 2007 16:42Profile#175
"Suffering is a disease which not only plagues humanity as a whole but also each individual. It is a fluid thing and always evolving. A man who has been imprisoned knows no other way to live but through threats and force; similarly, a man who sees atrocities done to his family or people will commit atrocities against him oppressors or persecutors. Though showing kindness to a man who has suffered may seem a benevolent act, in truth a greater evil may be unleashed; the man may go on to steal, kill, or inflict pain as soon as he is helped to his feet.

And so suffering will always exist, passing from one being to the next through every action from petty rivalries to brutal wars. Mankind may only hope that one day a savior will come to take upon himself the pain of all people..."From On the Pitiful and Downtrodden Masses; the book is now widely recognized as causing much more trouble than it was worth.---Over the realm of punishment, three wrathful and bloodthirsty deities preside: Cassius, Harath, and Nemesis. Cassius was known as an impartial and detached god, only concerned with spreading suffering itself. Harath however was the god of cold and unfeeling justice, of unshakable adherance to the law, and to order. Followers of Harath believed that crime and sin did not vary in degrees, as most law systems do; they believed in more or less the same punishment for all crimes large and small. And Nemesis has not been heard of in years; before, she was the goddess of divine vengance, above and beyond the law. She was known for both her brutal and righteous actions.From The Codex of Modern Divinities, an attempted compilation of knowledge concerning more recent gods and goddesses.

written Friday, May 18 2007 20:17Profile#164
Cassius and Kuberr were strolling through the streets of the city, inspecting the damage. A familiar figure was visible through the dust and rubble, and it was moving among the bodies still in the street. It bent down at one after the other, and casted healing spells on those still alive. Cassius was now close enough to be reasonably sure of its identity.

"Oy, oy! What are you doing?" Cassius shouted. "Save your help for those who will live!"

"These people need me!", Fourty shouted back. "And what have you been doing?"

"Hey, this isn't my fault. I saved all these people!" Cassius was closer now, and gestured in a broad circle to the civilians in the street. Kuberr snorted.

"Oh, well I'm glad we have you... on the job." Fourty had paused to cast a spell on an especially injured person. "So what happened here?"

"Murder," Cassius grunted. "The priests of Harath decided to unleash a huge golem to 'purify' the city, and it went on a rampage."

"Well, I'll take your totally unbiased word for it." Fourty said easily. He moved to another body, farther away.

"Hold it." Cassius said. "I know you're benevolent and noble and all that, but why are you here of all places?"

"Well, after you kicked out all of the Forsaken, I was leading some of them through the wilderness when I noticed that someone had destroyed about half of my home. I also noticed that whatever happened here managed to force the entire army which had been chasing us to return to Mannik, and figured I should find out why." Fourty rolled his eyes. "You know, just in case whatever you're going to do might possibly concern others."

"Ah, so you're just interested in my movements and those of the Harath followers? You don't care about the poor and downtrodden people here?"

"You know, funny you should ask that. Because I happen to need some muscle, and I think you might be interested. I have committed to helping a group of prisoners of Harath, and they helped me and the Forsaken against the priests of Harath."

"Really?" Cassius asked. "Sounds like an alliance may be in order. Walk with me, and on the way out we'll skin any Thermites and use them as firewood."

written Friday, May 18 2007 15:07Profile#2
It could use more complex melody lines, more dynamic volume (especially enterances! make the brass melodies memorable!) and could benefit from use of cymbals.

How exactly do you become a mod?I have been curious about this for a while.

If you have to ask, then it's not going to happen to you.

However, to answer your question: When a mod retires, there is a great disturbance on the furum, and there is eventually an election where a new mod is elected to take his/her place.

Or atleast, that's how it happened to Arancaytor.

No. Thurly was elected, then resigned. Aran was appointed in his place. Aran was not elected.

The addition, deletion, and merging of boards causes new appontments of moderators. Misbehavior from moderators can result in their removal from power, and inactivity is also taken into considerations.

written Thursday, May 17 2007 14:14Profile#157
Cassius woke up and saw a bleary outline which resembled Kuberr; he was slapping Cassius gently. Barbados was peering over Kuberr's shoulder. Cassius looked around, and saw they were in one of the many residences that had been seized when most of the financial leaders of the city were evicted. But it hurt to turn his head, and he sank back onto the bed he was lying on.

"Oh, hell." He groaned.

Kuberr laughed. "You're telling me. While you've been napping, the Harath priests have been going wild. Half want you out, half want a meeting, and half think they should summon another golem."

Cassius stared at Kuberr with one eye; the other remained closed. "That adds up to one and a half. I would have thought you at least could do basic calculations."

With a shrug, Kuberr answered, "Yes, but the groups aren't exclusive. Some, for example, want to meet you while at the same time raising another golem."

Cassius shook his head and closed his eyes.

---

A huge sort of funnel had been constructed on top of a high tower just for the use of Cassius. It rotated, and at one end had a hole approximately the size of a mouth. He pointed it at a marketplace and shouted, "Loyal and good citizens of Mannik! Followers of Harath! This is my city! Get out!" Heads turned quizzically and squads of guards started trooping toward the tower. Cassius went down to meet them. His own guards refused and prevented entry to all comers unless Cassius deemed them worthy, and he only allowed the highest-ranking ones to enter.

---

A temporary council had been set up, and consisted of those Harath priests who had been brave enough to enter the tower. Cassius was now alone with them, but was not worried. Some were watching him with worry, others with curiosity. Some looked on with hate, others fear. He began speaking.

"So. I have called into session this conference to determine the future of this city. It is, quite frankly, no longer under your control. It is mine for the taking. However, I am not a greedy man; you will continue to operate the public services, spread your faith, and manage the courts." He sneered. "What will now be under my control are the defenses of the city and political relations with other states. Your militant wings will disband and surrender their arms."

A bulky man in pure white robes and silver bracelets stood up. He was bright red. "This is ridiculous. You cannot hope to fight us, and you cannot hope to run this city. The people would rise against you, and I would lead them! The Thermian order has for years safeguarded this city; it is our heritage, and our right. We will not be ousted by some deranged aberration like yourself, and without a war."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "A Thermian? Then I presume you are Cannidos, the senior member of your order in wake of your golem's killing spree? The same Cannidos who ordered its creation, and who is directly responsible for the significant damge it has caused?" He knew for a fact that this was Cannidos, but he liked to be theatrical.

"Yes, well, I made a mistake," Cannidos fired back. "You, on the other hand, would willingly plunge this city into darkness and anarchy. We must have order, and law must prevail, to ensure civilization itself does not collapse." He bared his teeth. "If the purpose of this meeting is simply for you to dictate terms to us, I think you will find that you have not yet won the war. I will leave now." He stood, and others followed. In total, about a third.

Cassius looked around. "Then I suppose the rest of you either believe that this separation of power could help, or you believe that you no longer hold control over what I ask anyway. But at least I can count on you to not actively work against me." Some murmured quietly, and other remained silent and still. "Good. Then it is settled. Those who wish to see a better Mannik, who wish to see Mannik continue to exist at all, are represented here."

Well, it certainly is big. Using the "PgDn" key as a measurer, FF holds the record on pages 6 and 7 of the RP with over 4 screen lengths. Nioca has me beat by about 1/4 of a length, and my record is 3 lengths.

written Tuesday, May 15 2007 15:07Profile#349
If posting was like using the rest room, I would have just lost about three pounds. But anyway, a summary: Cassius leaves Seoth behind, taking Kuberr with him. The priests of Harath have unleashed a golem which purges everyone who has ever erred (as in, everyone). Cassius uses its own power to destroy it.

I suppose this leaves Mannik greatly weakened, and possible alliances with the Forsaken and liberal priests of Harath might be in the works. My next post will deal with the consequences of this attack.

Also, I don't really know many songs. But I assume Cassius's would be a heavy-metal song.

written Tuesday, May 15 2007 14:55Profile#143
While Seoth was off in the mist, Kuberr and Cassius stood and waited together. Cassius was moodily staring at the ground, while Kuberr was constantly speaking with his followers and informers, cocking his head and muttering quietly. Suddenly, Cassius tapped Kuberr on the shoulder.

Kuberr looked suprised for a moment and then stopped. He stared at Cassius and sat down elegantly. "Well, I think it's to be expected from most of us. But not you, I noticed. I've never seen a follower of yours, nor seen you hear or honor a prayer."

Cassius shrugged. "I don't need them; they need me. I have no use for them or a reason to listen. I cut off all but a few people from being able to pray to me. And of those who I do hear, half are just for laughs." He shook his head.

Kuberr nodded, then tilted his head again. But he was still staring at Cassius, and his eyes grew wide. He finished hearing the prayer, and then said to Cassius, "Sorry, but it's for you. Barbados just told me that apparently there's some sort of emergency in Mannik, and he only just found out."

Cassius stretched. "What sort of emergency?"

Kuberr shook his head slowly. "I have no idea. But Barbados did say that it was the Harath priests who started it."

Cassius's groaned. "And he can't handle the problem himself, can he? So he asked me to come all the way back to Mannik just to fix things?"

Kuberr smiled slyly. "No, he asked me to come and help him. But I thought this would be the perfect time for you to start pulling your weight."

This time Cassius scoffed. "He left us here anyway. I couldn't care less." He turned and strode away, leaving Kuberr rooted to the spot. After a moment's consideration, he cupped his hands and shouted, "Hey, lich! We're going to leave now! And remember your promise!" Then he trotted off to follow Cassius.

----

The return journey took about the same time as the trip there, although this time they were not aided by a cloud chariot like the one Seoth had provided; the mountains were considerably closer to Mannik than to Kirwood.

Since their departure, Mannik had gained several notable landmarks. There was now a large, scorched plain where once there had been light brush and a few huts outside the main city. And now the high tower upon which Kuberr and Barbados had first seen Seoth was crumbled and smoking. Finally, a major temple to Harath seemed to have taken hits on par with those of small siege weapons. But no army was in sight. However, Cassius noted a higher number of refugees fleeing the city than usual, and all stared over their shoulders with worry.

Cassius passed through the gates of Mannik with Kuberr not far behind. Kuberr pointed shakily in the direction he knew Barbados to be. Cassius turned the other way, and screams could be heard that way. He moved off; Kuberr left him and headed toward Barbados.

Not soon afterward, Cassius saw the problem. A huge, golem-like monstrosity was stomping through the area, crushing vendor's stalls and fences underfoot. It wore a shell of mirrors like armor, and lightning crackled underneath. The whole thing smelled of flame. People were running from it as well, carrying what they could; they expected that it would destroy everything, it seemed.

Cassius thought long and hard. He wasn't especially prepared to deal with a holy simalcrum of Harath, and definitely not one which seemed to be inorganic. But he picked up a convenient piece of cobblestone anyway, hefted it, and threw it at the golem. It hit the head with a deep, satisfying gonging sound. The golem whirled around and easily saw Cassius; its eyes spat lightning, and the monster roared.

Cassius roared right back, "Hey, Atlas! Get out of my bloody city, and never come back!" Suddenly, he was lit up by white light; the monster had focused on him, and little sparks were playing up and down his body. Cassius saw a series of memories, and could only assume that the monster was as well.

In his mind's eye, he saw himself committing horrible acts and sins. He saw murders, beatings, threats, and every manner of dishonorable thing he had ever done. While he was transfixed, the monster's eyes were steadily growing larger and larger, until with an ear-splitting roar the monster charged and Cassius was released from the stream of memories.

When the monster came within two of its arms's lengths, it halted and drew back its head. It belched a great ball of lightning; Cassius rose into the air to try to avoid it, but it tracked him and caught him in the chest. The monster moved in for the kill.

From behind it Cassius heard shouting, and the monster rounded on these new arrivals. They appeared, oddly enough, to be priests of Harath. They were chanting a prayer. Large whirlwinds of fire bloomed all around the golem and slammed themselves into the legs of it, but all they did was rebound off it and dissipate. The golem inched nearer, and the priests scattered. It did the same thing to a few of them as it had to Cassius; it scanned their memories and analyzed what it saw. It seemed that it didn't like what it saw, because it stomped the ground and sent a grapeshot of miniature lightning bolts after the priests. They screamed and ducked, but it did little use; most were severely burned.

Cassius took this opportunity to sneak up behind the golem. He had noted the nature of it; it scanned targets, assessed their crimes minor or major, and invariably sentenced the offender to death. He had noted that the golem scanned whatever it caught sight of, and planned to use that. He stealthily climbed up the leg of the golem while it was roaring and stomping, then up its back; the monster took no notice.

When he reached its shoulder, he slashed through part of the mirror plate with his clawed fingers; by this time the golem had noticed him. With its opposite arm it tried to swipe at him, but he dodged the blow. He hopped from one plate to another, sometimes holding on with his hands and other times balancing on flatter areas. Finally he reached the twisted face with the mirror sheet behind his back. He suddenly thrust it out so that the golem could not miss it, and so that it looked back into its own eyes.

It saw ruined homes and dead children. It saw men it had incinerated for petty theft. It saw priests, who had tried to live according to the law, punished for things they had repented and turned away from. It saw the stream of refugees who had escaped the slaughter, who it had forced to leave. And the golem began destroying itself. Cassius jumped clear, and lightning began to escape the confines of the metal joints. It seared up and down the golem's body, twisting and warping it. Molten metal ran in rivulets down the body. The golem seized its face with its own arms and began to pull; a blinding flash of light spread out, and with an explosion of fire and metal the creature became inanimate. An ethereal spirit rose out of the body, keening and trailing vapor behind it. Cassius took one deep breath, then lost consciousness.

written Monday, May 14 2007 13:17Profile#33
I think that some things should be explained more. Some of the intended meanings of sentences aren't clear. This is because you, IFM, have written the story so that you can understand it; however, a fair ammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmount of us don't understand all the things you understand. Write and read from the third party's point of view, not the author's.

written Sunday, May 13 2007 18:13Profile#22
Imban, as I've heard it, has a different IP than Imban's Cat-Eared Maid. Imban's Cat-Eared Maid has posted videos allegedly of him playing against Imban. Imban's Cat-Eared Maid has shown no evidence of knowing the same people here as Imban himself knows.

written Sunday, May 13 2007 15:45Profile#30
I'm a pretty casual RPG player, but when I do I like JRPGs. Games like Pokemon and Fire Emblem are awesome (although I haven't yet played a FF, and don't intend to). I like their predictable but variable combat, which as it happens shares similarities with the Geneforge style when on Torment.

Other genres include FPS and Beat-Em-Up, although I haven't played either in a while. I also used to like RTSes, but I haven't bought or felt compelled to buy a new one in a while. If I could get my hands on Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, though, I would play it.

written Sunday, May 13 2007 15:24Profile#2
You have to be registered to play.

Download the scenario to your "Blades of Avernum Scenarios" folder. Unzip it using a program like WinZip or the Mac equivalent. Then run Blades of Avernum; the scenario should appear on your list of scenarios along with the pre-packaged ones (the ones which came with the game).

written Saturday, May 12 2007 13:01Profile#12Marghani gives 2300 Google results, of which I'd say 3/4 are related to the Middle East. However, it seems to be only used as a name for people or places, and doesn't have a Wikipedia page. I'd say it's a name of an old historical figure.

written Friday, May 11 2007 20:38Profile#326
What I find most irritating is that the two ideas which are driving LF and Safey are 1) Must raise army! and 2) Must make alliances to fight enemies!

This is not an RP about armies. It is about characters. Your characters fight. To RP about how you're "increasing your power" is simply pleasurable to yourself and serves few others little purpose. Likewise, solidified alliances are unnecessary because we will have no menace. There will be no massive conflict which requires you to create a coalition to fight it.

If you feel the need to create an army some time in the future, give it a face. Give it flaws. Give it a history. Give it actual generals with distinguishable personalities.

Monoalphabetic shifts are a superset of Caesar's shift. A good monoalphabetic shift would be solved best by a frequency analysis. But in this case, we also know the whole thing starts with xxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx x, which matches the previous sentence's beginning. Maybe we've broken it.

Hmm. Frequency analysis for this one, and a Vingere rectangle for the next? I don't think so, GoldenKing. But I hope some real competition develops for Aran, so that this can be an entertaining race.

quote:Originally written by Cipherking:

PLEASE DON'T POST THE STAGES UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL STAGES COMPLETE

Well, I've blanked my post. Now the only problem is that you're still quoting it. :P

written Wednesday, May 9 2007 19:02Profile#120
Kuberr, Barbados, and Cassius were passing through the front gates of Kirkwood. The journey had not been pleasant; Cassius was annoyed with Barbados personally, although he was enjoying his lessened responsibilities. Kuberr led them through a maze of shops and alleyways, occasionally remarking on the good deals to be had. He sometimes stopped, cocked his head, and turned slowly. Finally, he stopped before an austere and sedate little tavern. With a flourish, Kuberr drew open the door and beckoned them in.

Seoth was waiting there, as a tall and thin man in black. He almost blended in with the inn's decor. With him was another man, harassed-looking and irritable. Seoth stood up when the trio entered, and moved quickly to them. Seoth's companion called, from behind him, "I suppose our meeting is over, then?"

"Yes." Seoth barked. "Let's make this quick. How much, and how far?"

"We've been thinking." Kuberr tipped his head. "And we think we want a full year of moderate weather on the seas. And that's all."

"How moderate?" Seoth said suspiciously.

"Reasonably." Kuberr drew out a small gold instrument on a chain and flicked it with his finger. "Yes, that'll do. That'll do nicely."

"And what about the other two?" Seoth glanced to Cassius and Barbados.

"I'll be compensating them in return for full control over this decision." Kuberr spoke again.

"Fine. And my other question: how far away will we go?"

Now Cassius spoke. "Far. Very far."

"How many day's travel?"

"Two. The journey is of the mind," Cassius said in an uncharacteristically cryptic manner.

Seoth paused. "Well. Can we at least get moving now?"

Cassius nodded. "A good idea. Let's go." He strode out of the inn, taking no heed if anyone was following.

"Hold on!" Seoth shouted, once they had traveled about a block. "I know a shortcut. We will go by cloud." And a wispy tangle of cloud descended from the sky to rest next to the group. Seoth climbed on, and it supported them. The others followed, and the cloud began to rise. Kuberr mutterred something about transporting costs. Barbados looked excited and stared around; now the cloud was as high as the nearby rooftops.

"One moment," Cassius said. Seoth halted the cloud's ascent. Cassius seized Barbados by the chest and threw him off the cloud. "What made you think you were coming?" He turned to Seoth and said, "Ready. We're going that way." Cassius pointed to a faraway series of mountains. Kuberr shook his head wearily and the cloud zoomed quickly toward them, and mortals in Kirkwood pointed and stared.

As they moved, Cassius spoke. "Now, Antonia... She's hard to describe. She's arrogant, but she deserves it. It is likely that she'll give you an order, and it's also likely that you will obey it with or against your will. And she's also a bit out of touch. She's been sleeping in a crypt for years."

Several minutes passed in silence. Then Kuberr spoke up. "I know Seoth has minions. And I know I have followers. But Cassius, I've never seen a real follower of yours... You're kind of a loner, aren't you?"

Cassius stared. Then he said slowly, "I've been called something close; a lone wolf, they said. I do own work, and I don't need anyone to help me. But the difference is, they called me an animal; all instinct, and no thought." He lapsed into thoughtful silence, but he didn't seem truly bothered.

When they began to near the mountains, Seoth said, "So where exactly are we going? I don't know where to land this thing."

written Sunday, May 6 2007 15:31Profile#104
Barbados moved to face Seoth eye-to-eye. "You pup, you're mad to threaten us. We have the full might of the vampire clans, and we can hire mercenaries at the snap of our fingers!" Kuberr shook his head desperately, but Barbados didn't notice. "We can have your head in a bag by sunrise-"

Kuberr shoved Barbados aside and took his place, speaking to Seoth. "What my senile friend is trying to say is that we were investigating something completely unrelated, and happened to notice your stunning home. And naturally, we can cure your vampirism." He jerked his head to the side, toward Barbados. "Right?", he asked menacingly.

Barbados's voice was heard, although he was not in sight of the tripod. "No, we bloody well do not. Mervingorix is dead, and he's the only one who can lift the curse." Clouds began to draw together over the tower, and the winds whirling around it suddenly intensified. A streak of lightning struck the stone an inch from Barbados's head, and Kuberr shouted. Barbados hastily spoke, "But of course, there is a ritual. I forgot about it for a moment. Quite simple. Easy. All we have to do is ask Antonia to remove the vampirism." He looked into the bowl, and smiled weakly.

"Oh, just a nice old lady," Barbados said with a false lightness. "Friend of mine, I've known her for years. She... Erm, she's... Well, she's one of the oldest vampires, and theoretically holds the loyalty of about a quarter of the country's vampires."

Seoth tilted his head, and his skull glistened sinisterly. "Antonia? I've never heard of her. I think you're lying."

"No, no!" Barbados tried to laugh cheerfully, but ended up wheezing and coughing unconvincingly. "She's been asleep for a while now. To be honest, I have no idea where. But if you need to have the vampirism removed, she'd be the one to go to."

"How am I supposed to talk to Antonia if no one knows where she is?" Seoth spoke angrily. There were flashes in the clouds around the tower, and booms were heard.

"Oh, no, no, no! I must have misspoke. Antonia's whereabouts are well-known. Just not by me. But Cassius knows!" Barbados sounded eager. "Cassius talked to her about a year ago. I have no idea how he found her, but he did. And I can easily find Cassius for you!"

written Sunday, May 6 2007 14:54Profile#234
That's flattering. Since I effectively forced my own character into isolation, and because I've already shaped the vampires into my own personal idea of what they are, I think I'll officially take full control over the Mannik vampires. I'll assume there are no objections, but if there are speak up.